Once considered futuristic, a lot of the big structures built in Berlin in the 1960s and 70s (and beginning of the 80s) are looked down on nowadays. They don’t live up to the current standard in terms of materials, sustainability and spatial concepts anymore, often get abandoned and fall into disrepair. These places are not part of the typical tourist trail which makes them even more interesting to visit and photograph. So here are 5 locations in Berlin you shouldn’t miss if you’re interested in weird, formerly futuristic, 70s architecture. Berlin Photo Tours And if you like this blog post lis ..read more

São Jorge Island is a very long and slim island with just about 8400 inhabitants. Together with Pico Island and Faial Island, it forms the so called “Triangle” group pretty much in the center of the Azores Archipelago. When planning our visit to the Azores and researching the different islands and potential photo spots, it seemed like São Jorge is a bit in the shadow of it’s more popular naighbors Pico and Faial and there wasn’t a lot of info to be found especially when it comes to interesting photo location. 18-image panorama of Farol dos Rosais, a lighthouse on the western tip of São Jorge ..read more

The island of Flores is part of the Azores, an archipelago consisting of nine islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This place is outstandingly beautiful and an absolute dream for landscape photographers. An abundance of waterfalls, rugged cliffs, lush forests and lakes that formed in extinct volcanos await and will keep you busy shooting for days or even weeks. We only spent about a week on Flores but tried to explore as much as possible of this wild, natural paradise and although the weather is unpredictable to say the least, I like to beliefe that we got away with some good images. H ..read more

Berchtesgadener Land is an area in the very southeastern corner of Germany and with Berchtesgaden National Park it’s home to one of the most beautiful landscapes Germany has to offer. From crystal clear mountain lakes to snow covered peaks and picturesque towns like Ramsau and Bad Reichenhall, Berchtesgaden not only offers everything you might want from a relaxed holiday close to nature, but it also sports an impressive amount of world class photo spots. Berchtesgaden Photo Spots Hintersee Zauberwald Aschauerweiher Strasse Maria Gern Church Locksteinstrasse St. Sebastian Church R ..read more

The Berlin Cathedral was built from 1894 to 1905 and it is Germany’s largest protestant church. It’s also one of the cities most prominent landmarks and certainly worth a visit and a few shots when you’re in the area. As a travel photographer I know very well how time consuming it can be to research and find the best photo locations, especially when you’re not familiar with a city and don’t have an infinite amount of time. So in order to get you started, here are 9 suggestions on compositions to capture some stunning frames of on of Berlin’s most beautiful and impressive buildings: the Berlin ..read more

Berlin isn’t really known for its breathtaking skyline. However, the city still has quite a few viewpoints up its sleeve that offer some gorgeous panoramic vistas and interesting photo opportunities. Although i’d recommend at least two days to visit and photograph all of the viewpoints mentioned in this guide, it is possible to hit them all in one day and most importantly in decent lighting conditions (only if the weather plays along of course). So here are 7 of my favorite viewpoints to photograph Berlin from above and the order in which I would shoot them if I only had one day. I hope you en ..read more

The Berlin TV Tower (ger.: Fernsehturm) is not only the citie’s most prominent landmark, but also Germany’s tallest structure. With a height of 368 meters (including antenna) it ranks Nr. 3 in the list of tallest structures in the European Union and is visible from most inner city districts.  Built between 1965 and 1969 by the government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) it was intended to be a symbol of Communist power.  Nowadays it’s still an indispensable part of Berlin’s rather modest skyline and thus a popular photo motif for travel photographers and locals alike.  Ev ..read more

Cap Go Meh (Chinese: 十五 暝) Festival marks the end of the 14-day-long, annual Chinese New Year’s celebration. Every year it’s held at the 15th day after Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh literally means “the fifteenth day of the first month” (Cap = Ten, Go = Five, Meh = Night). Since the date of Chinese New Year (locally known as imlek) doesn’t follow the Gregorian Calendar but, surprise surprise, the Chinese Calendar (or lunar calendar), the exact date of Chinese New Year is different from year to year. This also means, that Cap Go Meh is on another (Grego ..read more

We are surrounded by nothing but an eternity of blue. Only the air, consistently bubbling out of our regulators, indicate where is up and where is down. We sink to about 5 meters and I’m beyond stoked, intensively staring into the deep blue. And then, out of nowhere, a dark, blurred shadow appears. We sink down to the sandy ground while the shadow comes closer and closer. Effortlessly the giant manta ray glides above our heads in complete silence. It’s an awe-inspiring moment, an ephemeral encounter and one of the most beautiful experiences I ever had. Giant Manta Ray at “Mawan” Dive Site in ..read more

Scuba diving in Komodo National Park, west of the island of Flores, is an incredibly beautiful and impressive experiences. The waters around the three main islands Pulau Komodo, Pulau Rinca and Pulau Padar are teeming with marine life. From giant inhabitants like the surreal looking oceanic sunfish (Mola Mola), eagle rays and whale sharks to smaller life forms like clown frogfish, nudibranch, sponges and tunicates, Komodo National Park has it all. One of the stars of this biotope is, without a doubt, the giant manta ray. Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park T ..read more